Bass returned to Los Angeles late Wednesday after traveling via a military flight to Washington, D.C., and a commercial flight home. Her office defended her involvement during the crisis, with Deputy Chief of Staff Celine Cordero asserting that the mayor remained “100% engaged” in decision-making remotely.

With Mayor Karen Bass far from L.A., Rick Caruso, her opponent in the 2022 election, swept in to fill the gap, blasting the city’s handling of the wildfires.